Taiwan

Taiwan is one of Asia's most underrated destinations. Taipei has the cleanest streets, friendliest people, and best night markets in the region. Get out of the city and you find marble gorges, mountain hot springs, and a high-speed rail that makes the whole island accessible in days.

Base in Taipei and work outward: Raohe and Ningxia night markets after dark, Beitou hot springs and Yangmingshan trails by day, then the high-speed rail south — Tainan for the old capital and its snack culture, Kaohsiung for the harbour. The east coast around Hualien and Taitung is the wild side, all cliffs and Pacific. Food is the budget's best friend; a full night-market dinner costs less than a sandwich back home, and beef noodle soup alone justifies a flight.

The honest list: summer is a steam bath with typhoons from June to October, English gets thin fast outside Taipei, and the cities themselves are grey and functional — you come for what happens in them, not how they look. Taroko Gorge is still recovering from the 2024 earthquake, so check what's actually open before building a trip around it. If you need beaches or grand architecture, look elsewhere. The welcome and the food cover everything else.